In Theaters This Week

When director Ang Lee first read "Life of Pi" 10 years ago, his initial reaction was to share the best-selling novel with his wife and kids, much as it had been shared with him. He was not, however, in a hurry to turn Yann Martel's magical, philosophical tale of a teen named Piscine Molitor Patel set adrift in a lifeboat in the Pacific with a Bengal tiger into a movie.

"I thought it would be not only technically almost impossible but just the nature of the material. It should be made cheaply and it could not be. It was very hard to crack it," he said on the phone last month, shortly after the movie premiered to vigorous acclaim at the New York Film Festival. But, he added, "I have to say, the book haunted me for a long time."

Wednesday, Lee's version of "Life of Pi" opens nationally. Shot in 3D, the vividly wrought jewel makes the best argument yet for the possibilities of digital technology and the art of storytelling. Not only does Pi's story of survival unfold to touching effect (newcomer Suraj Sharma plays the title character), but the saga's violent storms, beautiful beasts and unnatural wonders are radiantly rendered with digital cinema's finest tricks.

Lee is certain he couldn't have made the movie if not for advances in technology. Though, he said, he "suspected that a new film language might open up the chances with this particular project."

It is hard to imagine the intimate spectacle being so convincing even five years ago.

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Perhaps this achievement shouldn't come as a surprise. Lee is among the most versatile directors working today. While he hasn't always been fully successful, he's been consistently bold in his choices. Among his best works: the Jane Austen charmer "Sense and Sensibility"; "The Ice Storm," about life in suburban Connecticut in the 1970s; and the martial arts adventure "Crouching Tiger, Hidden Dragon," which elegantly brought the wonders of Hong Kong cinema to American screens.

In 2006, Lee won the Oscar for best direction for his lean, rending story of closeted cowboy lovers, "BrokebackMountain," adapted from Annie Proulx's short story.

Asked why producer Gil Netter and Fox 2000 president of production Elizabeth Gabler sought him out for "Life of Pi," Lee, who immigrated to the U.S. from the Taiwan, considers the question with his trademark modesty.

"This is what they said to me, I don't know what they really think. Of course, they say 'You're the only one who can do it,' " he says with a laugh. "But I do think I cross over, cross genre. With 'Crouching Tiger," I made something magical that has ideas but also moves people. I have a good track record. Not that everything works that way."

Indeed, Lee was no stranger to a big-budget, technically demanding production. In 2003, he directed "Hulk." Not entirely successful with critics, that 2003's superhero flick nevertheless strived to be tender, to connect audiences to Bruce Banner's pain at his change into a rage monster.

To write the screenplay for "Life of Pi," the director tapped David Magee who did such lovely work with "Finding Neverland," about Peter Pan creator J.M. Barrie. "He's a very intelligent writer easy to work with," Lee says of their dogged collaboration. "I've never been so diligent on a script. We worked on nearly 400 drafts. I lost track."

In the foreword to the handsome movie book "The Making of Life of Pi: A Film, a Journey," the novel's author Martel writes that while he sequestered himself in a spare little office working on "Life of Pi," he wrote "the story in a state of near constant jubilation."

For all the tumult and loss, this is the feeling Lee achieves.

"At some point it does feel like we're drifting across the Pacific with a tiger," said Lee. Yes, it does and that turns out to be more exhilarating than scary.